Do you struggle when you see those who appear to be ungodly, and even wicked, prosper? (184-2)

There may be times when Christian leaders become confused by what seems to be incompatibility between God’s character and His actions. Read Habakkuk 1:12-13.

Habakkuk’s first complaint to God was that He allowed the wicked leaders of Judah to continue in their lawlessness and perversion of justice. When God informed Habakkuk that His plan to solve the problem was to use the army of Babylon as His weapon of judgment to punish Judah, Habakkuk had an even more strenuous objection. The Babylonians were a wicked, brutal, unjust, pagan people that did not recognize God’s sovereignty and were more evil than the people in Judah. His question was how God could use a more evil people to bring judgment on His people. Habakkuk was confused by an apparent incompatibility between God’s character and His actions.

God is the unchanging, perfect foundation upon which moral concepts such as goodness, love, and justice are based. His moral structures and values are built into the created order. Christian leaders must have this truth as a core value and accept it by faith. If this question is not settled, leaders will be in constant turmoil as God directs their leadership path. Every leader’s vision is limited by the ability to understand current and foreseeable realities while God’s understanding and vision takes into account a history that will only be written in the future.

As the narrative following verse 13 unfolds, Habakkuk discovers that God’s plan for the purification of His people went far beyond what he could understand. Habakkuk learns that God is not honoring the Babylonians, they will be held accountable for their brutal actions; He is simply using them momentarily to accomplish His purpose. Although God’s actions seemed unjust and out of line with His eternal values, Habakkuk realized that God’s short-term actions were an appropriate part of His larger plan. Just as with Habakkuk, leaders today need to trust God’s character and the progressive revelation God has shown them from Genesis to Revelation.

Do you struggle when you see those who appear to be ungodly, and even wicked, prosper? Do you seek to “fix” the situation and assume the role of God even when He has not asked you to take that responsibility? The God-honoring leader will allow God to be sovereign. The action a leader takes makes a crucial statement about their core values.